Looking to transition into a tech career but feeling like your previous roles don’t translate? Unsure how to write a tech resume in the first place? Don’t worry—we can help! Whether you’ve been working for years serving customers in a retail environment or in a warehouse assembling equipment, any experience can be used to tailor a resume for tech.
A tech resume showcases the technical and non-technical skills and experience you already have that are transferable to a technical role, helping you stand out in applications. You don’t need experience working in a technical role—any experience can be used to craft a resume tailored to tech.
There are many ways to tailor your resume for the tech industry you’re entering. With Merit America, you’ll follow in the steps of hundreds of learners just like yourself who entered the tech industry with a solid tech resume and confidence.
3 Tech Resume Tips To Get Started
1. Name Tech You’ve Used and How It Impacted Your Work
Think more than computers! Technology can be software, machinery, vehicles, phones, tablets, equipment, and tools. Add the names of any software to your skills section as well. It may feel repetitive, but the more technical keywords used throughout your resume, the better.
Think of job descriptions as cheat sheets.
Take a look at a few job descriptions for a role you want to apply to, and pull out various soft skills (these are non-technical, personality traits) that you possess. Go back to your experience section in your resume and tie in how you’ve used those skills to be successful or impactful in your roles where applicable. This is how you can add relevant experience to tailor your resume.
Let’s say you have been working at Subway as a Sandwich Maker. Here’s a bullet point you may want to add to your resume: “Creates sandwiches for customers daily.” If, for example, you’re applying to an IT role, you want to showcase any usage of technology like a POS system. If you’ve fixed any technical issues on the job, you want to highlight that as well. Here are two tech-focused bullets you can write instead:
“Utilizes Toast POS System to streamline checkout experience for over 100 customers daily”
“Troubleshoots technical issues on POS System and credit card machines, resolving accurately and efficiently to maintain store operations”
2. Consider Your Soft Skills in Tech
You’ll also want to highlight transferable soft skills like customer service, conflict resolution, or empathy. Here’s one way to do so:
“Resolves all customer concerns with care and empathy, ensuring every customer has a positive experience”
You can also make your education section more tech-focused by adding any ongoing technical skill development you’re in the process of completing.
Learners who have watched YouTube videos to learn new technical skills have written, “Actively learning Python and JavaScript through independent study.” Other learners who are studying to take the A+ Certification have written, “Ongoing skill development in hardware, software and firmware knowledge to prepare for the CompTIA A+ Certification; anticipated completion Nov 2023.”
3. Translate Non-Typical Experience into Technical Expertise
Your background may not entirely fit the tech mold, but that doesn’t mean you lack the quantifiable skills desirable in the tech industry. Several tasks you perform daily in non-technical jobs can be translated into compelling qualifications for your tech-focused resume.
For instance, if you’ve worked as a teacher, you’ve probably integrated technology to enhance instruction and improve student learning. This experience could translate to: “Implements daily use of technology in classroom curriculum, integrating educational apps and software to enhance student learning.” This point demonstrates your familiarity and ease in utilizing tech tools, indicating your potential to handle technology in a tech-based job role.
Similarly, if you’re managing a team or juggling multiple projects, effectively utilizing resources and keeping everything on track is critical. Thus, the importance of keeping things organized and understanding how parts work together — a valuable skill for any tech job — is evident. You might phrase this expertise as: “Manages diversified projects, utilizing organizational skills to manage resources and prioritize tasks”.
These are just a few examples of how non-technical expertise can be effectively communicated in a tech-focused resume. Reflect upon your journey, identify technology touchpoints, and translate them into compelling qualifications. Remember, everyone starts somewhere, and the tech world appreciates those who can think outside the box and bring diverse experiences to the table.
Build Your Tech Resume with Merit America
Remember, always write for the technical role you want, not the roles you’ve had. With a little tweaking and some tech-focused language, you’ll be on your way to standing out in the tech industry. You’ve got this!
Are you looking to transition to a career in tech? Take the first step by checking out Merit America’s tech programs! You’ll benefit from peer support and best-in-class coaching while earning industry-recognized credentials